Watch Your Edge
by emmalia-aradeil
Summary: [Ice Skating AU] Mikasa has been accepted into an elite skating school, and finds herself working with an ill-tempered skater named Levi. The two never seem to agree on anything, except for the fact that they hate each other. When a new feeling grows between them, will the two skaters be able to accept it? "Watch your edge Ackerman. I'm your senpai."
1. Chapter 1

A/N-For any non-skaters/ people not familiar with figure skating, at the bottom is a little "key" for some of the terms.

* * *

"Next," the voice called. "Number three hundred forty seven."

"Good luck," Eren whispered to Mikasa. "Not like you'll need it."

Three Queens boarding school, an elite Academy with an imposing reputation for molding aspiring skaters into champions. The entries were overflowing, with a minuscule 8% acceptance rate for skaters of her level.

"Welcome entry three hundred forty seven," a man with large eyebrows greeted Mikasa as she entered the ice. She slid into a proper tea stop in front of the judges, bowing slightly as she did so.

"Mikasa Ackerman," he looked up from her papers. "Junior skating level, tenth grade, and decorated with four gold on the junior regionals, four gold on junior sectionals, four gold on the junior nationals and three gold, one silver at the international Junior World Figure Skating Championships. Thank you for applying."

She nodded her head once, a rare, faint smile on her lips so not to seem hostile to the judge.

"Erwin Smith," he introduced himself to her. "Administrator and teacher here at Three Queens." She knew of him, as he was infamous in the skating world. "We will play the track for the short program you selected, then please exit the ice."

A melody started to play in the background, signaling Mikasa to begin. She accelerated on the ice, gliding on it with a series of twists and turns. She never did show emotion, but when she was on the ice she felt something inside of her. It was warm, growing internally before finely trickling out onto the surface. If anybody studied her closely, they would notice the ardor in her. Even if the skill she was performing was rudimentary, she executed it flawlessly.

At her home town, she was known as a prodigy. By now, she could have easily made it into the senior level, but instead waited for her brother to qualify. They scorned her for devoting herself to him, tying her wings and waiting to take off until he could fly too.

Indentations coated the ice she skated on as performed backwards crossovers to prepare for a double lutz. She soared through the air, spinning around with inexorable grace. She landed cleanly on her foot, holding her arched back position.

From the stands Levi stood, watching the black haired girl with great intent. He had never seen such flawless execution from a skater other than himself, not to mention she was a level below him. He grudgingly agreed with the judge's nods of approval, but kept his supercilious look plastered on his face.

The song ended, and Mikasa spun out of a scratch spin into her final position. As she held her position, she locked eyes with a small man watching from the sidelines. His eyes were gray, dark grey, like that of steel. She felt instant distaste in her mouth, but kept her expression neutral so not to alert the judges of this exchange. _Levi_, she thought. _I didn't know a skater like him would attend a school like this. _She knew him because of his current record; the only senior male skater never to place below bronze in his whole career._ The counterpart of my record, _she thought, _the only female junior skater whose never placed below bronze. _Turning away, she bowed before the judges again. The excused her, all the judges smiling slightly.

"I think its clear," Erwin said. "Definite pass."

:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Mikasa," Eren yelled after her sister. "Help me with the rest of my stuff!"

"Eren," she stated calmly, "You really didn't need to bring all of your video games with you. This is an intense school, and they'll kick you out without hesitation if you don't perform well."

When Mikasa's acceptance letter arrived in the mail, she had opened it calmly, hoping to see Eren receive one as well. She had fingered the smooth paper, reading it as she processed what was said in the note.

_A boarding school, _she thought as she stared at the imposing building, jarring her out of her thoughts.

It was surrounded by wrought iron gates, a large sign broadcasting that this school was the Three Queens Academy. Students milled about the lush grounds, some dressed in the team uniform, others simply in the dress code.

"So you're in the top class, huh?" he asked Mikasa. "I thought only senior level skaters could get in." Unlike formal schools, the classes for ice skating were divided by skill level.

"This is were we part," Mikasa interrupted him as they stood in front of her dorm. She held her final bag in her hand, internally smiling at the fact Eren most likely had three more trips to the car.

"Aw, you really should help me," he exclaimed.

She ignored him, walking away. "After you unpack Mom and Dad told us to meet them by the entrance before they leave."

"Okay," he called after her. "You're a big meanie though. You won't help me with my stuff!"

"Mature," she muttered back to him.

She opened the glass door, hauling her final duffel bag behind her. She walked up three flights of stairs before entering her room. Room 10C was written in gold lettering across the door, reminding her of how much money the school owned. She pushed open the metal doorknob, sighing in relief as she set it down.

Her roommate hadn't arrived yet, leaving Mikasa the choice of which bed she wanted. It was a simple room, with two beds on either side of the wall and two night stands on their sides. A small door on the left held their closet, while the door on the right lead to their bathroom. A long L shaped desk sat in the corner of the wall the door was on, with an ivory bookcase against the other. It suited their minimal needs comfortably, with a common area and kitchen on the first floor, giving the occupants more space to live.

The door clicked, alerting Mikasa of somebody entering her room. She spun around, greeted by a new face.

She was small, with a lithe body toned from skating. Her large nose filled most of her face, regal looking and unconventionally pretty. Her blond hair surrounded her large, heavily lidded crystal blue eyes.

"Annie Leonhardt," she said in a monotone voice.

"Mikasa Ackerman. I'm assuming you're my roommate?" she asked.

"Yes."

A tense silence followed, before Mikasa asked, "Annie, do you want the left or right bed?"

:-:-:-:-:-:-

Eren lounged in his dorm located on the other side of the large campus. Him and his roommate had already come into concordance, sharing skating tips and studying tricks. He learned that his roommate, Armin, was quite cerebral. His knowledge in skating was mainly on technique, and his grades were extremely high.

"I got a scholarship here because the school needs to make sure that its student's grades are high. I admit I'm not that good of a skater, but I'll be an example during open houses and such," Armin said.

"Oh," Eren said. "What level do you skate on?"

"I'm only a juvenile skater," he admitted. "So I'm in the bottom class for skating."

"Do your best," Eren told him. He knew that to pass admissions you needed to be on juvenile level at least when you enter high school.

"I will," he pumped his fist. "Its my second year, so I'll be prepared. At least I'm out of danger, because I'm only a juvenile."

"What?" Eren inquired, wondering what 'danger' Armin was speaking of.

"Do you know about Petra Ral?" Armin asked him.

Eren nodded. He was familiar with the senior level skater who was decorated with many national accolades. "What happened to her?"

"She was at the regional senior championships, and during her warm up she collided with a skater from Titan Academy. It fractured her spinal chord and she's been out for seven weeks now, although she was reaccepted into Three Queens this year. Some sources say it was intentional, while others say it wasn't."

"Oh," Eren replied. He heard of the cut throat school; Mikasa and he were thinking about going there instead. They were longtime rivals with the Three Queens school, with bitter history going far back."

"She used to practice pair skating with Levi."

"Levi?" Eren asked. "That guy is a legend. I really look up to him."

"He is," Armin agreed. "He's looking for a new pair partner because she's out." Armin glanced at the watch on his wrist. "Damn, its already five," he said. "The opening ceremony already started!" His eyes widened in sudden realization.

The two sprinted out of their dorm, noticing the stillness of the entire campus. _Everybody is definitely already in the auditorium, _Eren thought.

"We're here," Armin said, looking at his watch once again. "Good, only eight minutes late."

They tiptoed into the room, trying to be as discreet as possible. A blonde man stood at the front, flanked by a brunette man and a tall, bald man.

"The classes here," the blonde man, Erwin, the administrator, continued his speech. "Are from six in the morning to six at night, running from mondays to fridays. You all have schedules, but I will go over it now as well. You will meet off ice with your ice skating class at six, and stretch for thirty minutes. After that you will have one hour of free ice time, so use it wisely. Official classes start at nine, giving you time to change out of your skating clothing into the mandatory dress code. Any questions so far?" He surveyed the room, judging to see if everybody understood.

"There's Mikasa," Eren whispered to Armin, pointing her out. She was sitting closer to the front, her dark scarf tied around her neck. "My sister." Armin nodded slightly, turning his attention back to Erwin

"From nine to three you will have ordinary classes, such as math and science, with a break for lunch. You will have an hour of free time before your ice classes. You will not be skating everyday in the afternoon; sometimes you will be practicing off ice or choreographing. This period will end around seven o'clock, then your day is finished."

"Sounds packed," Eren whispered to Armin.

"It is."

"On Saturdays your schedules will depend on who you are. If you are accepted into the competition team for any discipline, you will most likely have an all day practice. If you signed up for private sessions, you will take them then. Sundays are your free days, but we will also hold school events such as homecoming or field day on that day. Any questions?"

The room was silent, most likely from being captivated by this man. His voice was loud but not booming, confident but not prideful. It would almost be fit to say he spoke in a mellifluous manner, if the term were not so girly.

"As you all know Three Queens school is one of the only schools to not only support, but require their students to study at least two disciplines. There will be multiple competing teams, so if you do not get through in the first try outs, there is still another chance. Good luck with your year."

Mikasa sat quietly in the crowd, consuming all of the information he feed her. The schedule seemed easier than she had expected, but still vigorous enough to keep her engaged.

The assembly concluded quickly, much to her relief. She disliked sitting so close to so many people, preferring her own personal space. Striding out the room, the person in front of her stopped abruptly.

She collided with the small body, pushing him forward several steps.

"What are you doing brat?" the boy in front of her snipped. He turned around, facing Mikasa. "Tch, its you."

Gray eyes bored into her black ones, recalling their earlier encounter during her tryouts.

"Levi," she recognized him immediately. Whenever she would view the nation senior champions he was always competing. She had praised him for his flawless execution, artistry, and lines, but upon meeting him her blood boiled.

"Another fan girl," he scoffed.

"As if," she retorted back, a calm edge in her voice.

"What's your problem?" he asked her.

"My problem?" she replied. "I never had one with you. its you picking all of these fights! As soon as we locked eyes as at my try outs, which by the way, you weren't supposed to be at, you looked at me with malice."

"I'm allowed to be at your tryouts because I'm the captain of the school's competing team."

_Crap,_ she thought, _picking a fight with not only a record holder, but the captain of the team!_

"By the way brat," he said before he walked away. "Your double lutz-triple toe pick combination was off. You left off of the inside edge when you took off of your lutz, and you under-rotated it too."

"I never asked you," she said. "I don't make mistakes in simple jumps like those. My performance was not that egregious."

"Simple?" he scoffed. "Your performance was fucking terrible."

"Levi!" a voice interrupted. "What did I tell you about your mouth." It was Erwin, running up behind her. "Especially to talented skaters like her."

"Tch," he scoffed.

* * *

A/N- I hope you enjoyed! Here is the little reference I was talking about. Reviews are always appreciated!

Inside edge: skating with more weight on the inside of blade blade (the left side on the right foot or the right of the left)

Outside edge: skating with more weight on the outside of the blade (opposite of above)

Balanced edge: when the weight is evenly distributed

The six jumps counted as "jump elements" listed in order of easiest to hardiest:

(All jumps land on back outside edge)

Toe Loop: a jump that takes off after skating backwards on an outside edge and digging the toe into the ice for power (also known as a toe jump)

Salchow: a jump that takes off going backwards on the back inside edge

Loop: same as a salchow, but taking off on the outside edge

Flip: a toe jump that takes off going backwards on an inside edge

Lutz: a toe jump that takes off going backwards on an outside edge

Axel: a jump that takes off going forward on an outside edge (most difficult because to perform a "single" turn, you actually need to spin 1 1/2 times around instead of just 1.)

Levels of Skating, from easiest to hardest, with whose on what level on each:

Levels not accepted at Three Queens:

Pre-preliminary

Preliminary

Pre-juvenile

Levels that are accepted:

Juvenile (Armin, most middle schoolers)

Intermediate (most 8th and 9th graders)

Novice (Marco, Krista/Historia, Connie, Sasha and most 9th and 10th graders)

Junior (Mikasa ((although on senior level)), Eren, Jean, Ymir ((although on senior level)) and most common level to be on in 11th and 12th grade)

Senior (All of the teachers, Levi, Petra, Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt)

There will be more "terms" in the next chapter! Please review, it would be extremely helpful.


	2. Chapter 2

It was early on Monday morning when Mikasa awoke. Annie, unlike Mikasa, was bedraggled with a rather scruffy appearance. The duo, who had come to accept the rigidness between them, nodded court hellos as they left their dorm together. Both wore soft zip up track suits to shelter their skin from the cold fall air.

Mikasa's tall stature towered over Annie's, a stark contrast between the two. The differences continued; an innumerable amount that made them quite a pair to look at.

Mikasa was dark, with a sheet of black silk for hair, and black-gray galaxies for eyes. Annie was lighter, but not bright, with thin tendrils of woven gold and cold, sun freezing eyes.

What united them together was the indifferent attitude they both carried. Neither cared, and if they did the never showed it. They realized how twisted and sinister the world of ice skating was. Competitors were all to willing to betray a comrade to climb to the top of the ladder, carrying a heavy burden of anguish on their shoulders.

"We're here," Mikasa said as they entered the building. It was numbered thirty four, most likely the thirty fourth rink out of one hundred, Mikasa assumed. Annie was also a highly skilled skater, qualifying for seniors at her ripe age of sixteen.

She checked her time, making sure they were punctual. Her clock read five fifty eight, so they were just early.

"You?" a monotone voice called. "What is a junior skater like you doing in the top class?"

They were addressing Mikasa most likely, unless another junior had made it into the class.

"I hear other senior skaters were omitted from this class, so why the fuck are you here?"

"Levi!" a little yelp followed his brash statement. "Sorry about him. I'm Petra Ral." The girl stuck out a hand for Mikasa to shake, only to lower it as she quickly realized Mikasa was not going to accept.

"Mikasa Ackerman," she replied, walking past the auburn haired girl. A frown etched on her face, wondering why Mikasa was in such a horrendous mood so early. She sighed, deciding to allow it to roll off her shoulder.

The room was filled with the few select skaters, all lined up and stretching. Mikasa gently placed her bag on the floor next to a mirrored wall, unzipping her track jacket to reveal a basic skate leotard and leg warmers.

"Fix your stuff, brat," a voice called from behind her as she started her basic stretches. "Its so damn messy, you didn't even properly fold your track suit."

"Shut up chibi," she ignored him. "I'm positive I know how to fold."

Suddenly, she felt her back pressed against the mirrored wall, a dark, menacing glare on Levi's face. He placed one hand on the left side of her head, the other with his forearm pressing into the mirror.

"Do not ever insult my height, newbie." He pressed firmer into her, attempting to intimidate the tall girl. It was close to impossible though, as he only came up to the bridge of her nose.

"You're not scary," she said calmly. "I know most female skaters are lean muscle, but I do wrestle, so I have more strength than you. If you threaten me again I will not hesitate to throw you."

"Tch," he said. "You talk big for a junior skater. Need I remind you, I'm an upperclassman, sophomore."

"You don't look like one, asshole."

A virulent silence hung in the air, neither of them moving. To an onlooker who wasn't aware of the situation, it could easily be misinterpreted for something other than a hostile confrontation.

"Get off of me," she growled.

"Gladly, I don't want your filthy body near mine anyway."

With one last rancorous gaze, he pushed himself away and strode to the opposite wall.

Mikasa screamed internally. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was stoic, unemotional, and calm. She wasn't one to take bait or lose her temper so easily. She felt it was justified in an average human's case, but in hers it was unacceptable. _You cannot let a little boy get in the way of your career,_ she scolded herself.

It was troubling how easily he pulled on her inaccessible strings, yet he moved her temper around like she was his own puppet. It disgusted her how lethal it was for her to allow him to slip through her fortress, but whatever move she made to block him out failed.

"Ackerman," a new voice called to her. It was deep, with a comfortable sound resonating though it. "Reiner Braun, nice to meet you."

"Hm," she said.

"I saw some of your performance during the application, and want to tell you your form for your camel spin is amazing."

"Okay," she said. A feeling of pride swelled in her, but she pushed it back down. She didn't want to mix her outward emotions with her goal.

Mikasa knew she was deeply devoted to her family, especially Eren. If in the past, somebody asked Mikasa what she wanted to achieve in life, she would have answered to protect her family. Fifteen years into her life and the lines hadn't even began to blur. She never felt her own needs and wants rush to the surface, and the never overruled her familial devotion.

Before she knew it, her stretching time was up, leaving her with her hour of free skate. She was lacing up her boots as Erwin skated by.

Proud and statuesque, he stood in the middle of the ice rink.

"Class 1S," he addressed them. "I'm Erwin Smith, three time olympic medalist and Japan's two time senior champion. I'll be personally training each one of you, shaping you to become your best. This class lesson I will be observing to see each of your skills and talents. As I said during the assembly, each of you are taking a second additional discipline to your singles skating. You have all chosen pair skating, correct?"

The class all nodded. "Good." Erwin stated, "As you can see, because of Petra's injury, our class has one extra male. Annie and Mikasa, one of you will practice with two partners. I believe you know that there is the 2S class. They will join us during some practices, but due to ice space we had to keep you separate. Lastly, during this free skate session I will watch to see whose skating styles will work well together. Your time begins now."

Mikasa finished lacing her boots and stepped onto the ice, revering the feeling of skating. She knew her goal for today; landing a triple axel-triple toe combination. She warmed up, doing forwards and backwards crossovers around the rink. While she was doing this she observed her fellow class men with a keen eye.

Annie was a quintessential skater, with a perfect jump form and landing. She spun around in a scratch spin, her body perfectly rigid. Her technique was sheer beauty, but she lacked artistry in her lines.

Reiner was a powerhouse, his moves focusing on the crowd pleasing ones as apposed to the ones that racked up points. His specialty was obviously the spins, as he used his large mass to accelerate quicker than Mikasa could imagine doing.

Bertholdt was a gentle, graceful skater. His tall stature spread over the ice as smooth as butter. He would be a good pair partner, Mikasa decided, hoping she would be paired with him. Their large heights would compliment each other. and she was sure he would be strong enough to hold all of her muscle mass.

Levi whizzed past her, making her thoughts come to a complete stand still.

If anybody could hear her thoughts, she would mortified.

He was perfect. Absolutely perfect. She shook her head quickly in denial. There is no way his form and artistry is that good. She repudiated the very thought, but couldn't help notice as he landed a triple axel-triple toe combination. The very same one she was working on toady.

His left leg was held up in the air, a swooping arc that was so captivating. His arms were extended to hold his balance, cutting through the air cleanly. As he made a mohawk turn he caught Mikasa's lingering eye, smirking at her dazed expression.

"Ackerman, don't stand with your mouth open. You might catch flies. They always are drawn to trash after all."

:-:-:-:-:-:-

"He is annoying," Mikasa snarked to her brother Eren.

"Calm down," he told her, pushing his empty tray of food away. "He can't be that bad!"

"Sorry to tell you, but your idol is a jerk."

Eren sighed, taking a sip of his water. "Are you going to eat those?" he questioned, averting his energy on something else.

"Take them," she pushed the remainder of her chicken towards him.

"You're always cold, so maybe he doesn't like that?"

"Cold," she snorted. "He is the definition of cold."

"Mikasa, can I have your potatoes?" Sasha called from the other side of her. She and her close friend Connie sat with them, Armin at the end of the table studying away.

"No," Mikasa said, putting the remainder of her potatoes in the trash can. Sasha looked flabbergasted, whimpering about the poor food going to waste. Connie nervously patted her head, a feeble attempt to comfort her.

"We have our free hour now," Eren said, "could you help me with my double axel?"

She sighed, looking at her little brother. She had originally planned to use their free hour after lunch to sleep, but she agreed somewhat reluctantly.

"Sure, meet me at rink thirty four."

"Thank Mikasa," Eren hugged her. "I'm totally landing it today!"

"Okay Eren," she agreed as she picked up her bag. "I'll be right back. I'm going to drop my stuff off at the dorm and get changed."

She walked away, sprinting across the campus for the extra exercise. Annie was in their room when she got there, sitting on her bed and watching a tape. It was a man, skating across the ice. Mikasa wanted to inquire who it was, but decided to leave it for now. She had agreed to meet Eren, and didn't feel like putting up with his whining if she were late.

Fifteen minutes later, she and Eren were walking into the rink together.

"Is this rink rather far from your skating classes?" she asked him. "This is where my classes are held, but what about you? Will you make it to class on time? I don't want you to get in trouble of lateness."

"Mikasa," he sighed exasperated, "you doubt my sprinting skills."

"Fine," she said. They finished putting on their skates and stepped onto the rink.

It was quiet other than the small scratching noise of another skater. It was Levi, spinning around in circles. Petra stood in the bleachers, calling out commands to him.

"Levi!" her voice called, "you're forgetting to support your wrists during your spins." Instead of snorting back at her, he nodded solemnly and repeated his sit spin. Mikasa gaped. She was surprised this woman had so much influence over Levi.

"Levi!" Eren called, skating over to him. "Wow, its actually you!"

"Eren," Mikasa muttered under her breath, cursing her brother at his amicable nature.

Levi said nothing to Eren, instead looking right past him to say to Mikasa, "bringing your boyfriend along, huh?"

"Idiot," she said, noting Eren't mortified expression. "This is my brother."

"Oh, thats right. I forgot dirty people like you couldn't get a boyfriend."

She grit her teeth but skated away, pulling Eren along with her.

"Eren, let's see your axel first." He nodded at her command, skating forward. He pushed off the ground, keeping his body too open as he spun. He landed gracefully, but the start up was messy.

"You did a delayed axel. Close your body more during the ascent of your jump, and make sure to bring your arms in. You almost under rotated that one."

"What a nit pick you are," Levi called from the other side of the rink. She glared at him once, before returning to help Eren.

"I am not," she protested.

"If I wanted to help my dear little brother I would do it differently," Levi said. "I highly doubt he has enough muscle mass to land an axel."

"You," Mikasa glowered at him.

"Listen up brat," Levi then directed his words towards her attentive younger brother. "Go to the fucking weight room."

"Yes sir!" Eren remarked, enthralled that his idol had taken notice of him.

For Mikasa, however, that was the last straw. Eren was her sole responsibility and pride, and for him to intrude on her time with him was indefensible.

:-:-:-:-:-:-

Levi sighed as he sat in his bedroom after practice. Who was she?

Her hair was black, kept shorter than most girls he knew. She never wore it up during practice, an unusual thing for a figure skater to do. She was beautiful, although he admitted it rather reluctantly. She was tall, statuesque, and handsome. She towered over other women in figure skating, a whole head above the rest, both in height and skill. Her skin was pale and delicate, not a single scar on her face. The thinnest wisps of hair would always splay across her skin, contrasting the dark hair to her porcelain complexion.

When she skated, it took his breath away. He felt it was a involuntary idea when he first saw her. She was only a junior skater after all, and he had seen senior skaters perform. War raged within himself as he remembered the jump she had landed earlier during practice. A quadruple flip, one of the hardest jumps even Erwin had omitted him from attempting, due to the danger of it. It was flawless, executed perfectly. When she landed it her face stayed gentle as if she had not exerted a great task onto her body, her features gently satisfied.

When she spun it resembled the way his head felt. It was dizzying, confusing, yet at the same time brilliant. She would whisk through the air, her back perfectly arched no matter what spin form she was holding.

Her complex footwork reminded him of their banters. Underlying messages were held in each and every one of them. Why did she anger him so much? He was aware it was all his fault, as he was the first to treat her harshly. Whenever she talked it irritated him, her monotone voice droning as a background fly.

He felt strong feelings for her. It hit him like a storm, a scream that could not be ignored. He only knew her for a mere three days now, but felt an emotion unlike any he had felt before.

Pure hatred.

Sometimes people say when you meet somebody of importance in your life, it will come naturally, quietly, discreetly. Levi disagreed. This woman would be of importance in his life, but she came in banging pots and pans on his heart and head.

She was so unique, so different.

Mikasa Ackerman, he thought, will be the death of me.

* * *

A/N- I hope you all enjoyed! Before my "ice skating dictionary" comes, I want to give a shout out to Anna cii Bunny and LifeInMyHead! They both reviewed and I am so so grateful. Without further ado: the list of terms.

Jump combinations: when one jump is executed, on the landing of the first a second jump is taken. There is no extra push or start, so right from the first jump into the second jump. (I write them like so: jump1-jump2, ex. double axel-triple toe loop)

Double, Triple, and Quadruple jumps: They increase in difficulty as the number of spins go up. For the double jump, skaters spin twice in the air as apposed to one, three for triple, and four for quads. Triple jumps are considered difficult, while quadruple jumps are exceedingly difficult.

Also note:

Even though an axel is listed as harder than a toe loop, a double or triple toe loop is harder than a single axel.

Nobody (real life) has ever landed a quadruple axel in a competition, so its near impossible.

Most men jump larger jumps then women.

Mohawk turn: where a skater is skating on one foot and places their other foot on the ground while picking up the one that was already there. This lets a skater who was originally going forward change their direction to backwards.

(if you look this up on google, I believe there is a diagram)

"Discipline" Types:

Single: Where a man or woman skated by themselves.

Pairs: A man and a woman skate together. They usually have throws, holds, and other tricks done together. Synchronization is very important.

Ice Dance: Similar to pairs, but no acrobatic moves are allowed (throws, holds, etc). They are more dancing to the music.

Synchronized Skating: where a team of boys, girls, or both skate in sync. They have programs and perform tricks unique to that discipline.

Also, while Mikasa and Eren are both junior skaters, that only applies to their singles level. The tests for each discipline are held separately, so a skater could be a senior singles skater, but only a juvenile pair skater.

Lastly, most competitive skaters only focus on one discipline, as it will help focus all of their energy into one thing. In this book I'm having them do two for a) plot purposes b) showing their genius in real life.

Once again, thank you for reading! Have a good day!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- As most of you who are reading this in order of updates know, this is the "inserted chapter". This chapter will mainly focus on the junior skaters, hopefully giving my book my depth. Once again, thank you for all of your support! Questions from reviews will be answered in the bottom! Lastly, does have Connie x Sasha pairing, but this will not be a big deal, simply a side pair. I hope that's okay with you guys!

* * *

Eren titled his head towards the taller man, listening with a keen ear.

"So then I had barely made it to the final round, but ended up scoring first prize!" He finished, smirking as younger girls applauded at his story. One, however, was not buying it at all.

It was his very own sister, taller and darker than the predominance of the room. She stood in the tenth grade common room, listening with mild distaste to the man.

"Hey Jean," Eren called, "ever heard of the phrase 'its more impressive to accomplish a feat and have somebody find out about it, rather than brag about it'?"

"What are you talking about?" Jean looked over, eyes narrowing.

"Jean, you may not be aware of it, but this isn't some local competition the competing team will skate in. Its the real deal."

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

Eren hesitated before breathing, "yes."

Mikasa subtly rolled her eyes at the two's behavior. Many thought that once boy matured into puberty their troglodyte ways would cease, however, that seemed to be false in this case.

On the other side of the room a garrulous Sasha and Connie sat, describing their latest journeys with great vigor. Armin stood in the corner, yielding to the chaos of the room.

Christa stood in the opposite corner, her pleasant expression rooted firmly on her face. Her facade never did falter, Mikasa noted, and she seemed to be altruistic in every aspect. She held a conversation with Marco Bodt, Ymir evidently not at her side. Because this was the tenth grade common room, the eleventh graders, such as Ymir, couldn't enter.

"Mikasa," Eren reached out towards his older sister, "come on, we're leaving." She arched an eyebrow it him, surprised by his sudden declaration, but quietly followed him out.

She walked past the group, ebony hair streaming from her shoulders as she exited, Armin scampering behind them.

"Y-your hair," a voice stuttered to her. She turned slightly, looking at a beet-red face.

To Jean, Mikasa looked like an Siren, haunting and beautiful with definite bitter after tastes. Despite his intuition telling him to stay away, he continued to gaze upon her face. Her eyes caught him in a trance, the atypical gray color looking so appealing in contrast to the lightness of her skin.

"Its s-so beautiful," Jean finished his sentence.

"Thank you," she replied, continuing to walk forward.

"Wait," Jean called, "what class are you in? I haven't seen you before."

"She's in S1," an unamused voice rang. It was a new one; deep, monotone, and husky. "Mikasa, Erwin is looking for us."

"I didn't ask you," Jean huffed, obviously upset not to hear the answer from the woman he asked.

"I don't know if you're aware of this," Levi responded, "but Mikasa doesn't fuck around. She has to focus on skating."

Eren gaped at his idol. He was defending his sister, the very same one that had regarded him with an air of hostility.

"Come on," he glanced at her, walking back down the hallway.

"What was that about," she murmured.

"Nothing," he answered, a tinge of red on the back of his neck. He refused to admit the younger boy's antics were bothering him in a way that resembled jealousy.

Reclining on the sofa, Connie called, "well that's not rejection if I haven't heard of it," he smirked.

"Connie!" Sasha chided, "don't be rude!"

"Damnit," Jean cursed, looking up at the fluorescent lights that hung above.

The room was painted blue. Blue, the color to calm and give serenity. Blue, the color of oceans and skies, and every peaceful thing. Not the color of red, like frustration and resentment.

The room was designed in the attempt to calm the young skaters, relieving them from the intensity of the program. It was blue, as stated before, with flowing lines to ease the mind. The dark blue sofas lined across the room provided back support for the overworked bodies, and a drink machine for thirsty mouths.

"What," Connie said innocently. "I was just joking. I've been rejected plenty. Speaking of which, wanna go out with me, Sasha?"

"Shut up," she disregarded her childhood friend. They had known each other for years, a strong bond formed between the two. Their families were close, generations of close ties and interlocking fates.

Connie frowned slightly, a facial expression that went by unseen. He knew from the sound of his voice it would appear he was making a blatant joke. Honestly, he wished he could ask her for real, but knew he would get rejected immediately. He was a good couple inches shorter than her, a far cry from the tall, muscular men she always talked about. He was rascally, unlike the chivalrous ways she hopped for.

"Wait," Jean interjected, "She's in 1S? How is that even possible?"

"What do you mean," Christa asked softly.

"1S is the top class," Connie said, "that's Mikasa. She's sort of just good at everything, according to Eren."

Sasha tilted her head slightly, "Hm, but she's on a junior."

"G-good at everything?" Jean asked, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "Everything?"

"Yes," Connie replied, giving Jean a queer look. "What's up with your face, horse-head, you look like a tomato."

"What?" he yelped. "N-nothing at all," he replied. (1)

In the corner of the room, Annie stood silently, still unnoticed by her fellow peers. She was silent, absorbing all information, no matter how frivolous it may seem. She couldn't let her father down. Her short frame sunk into the wall, staring at the phone in her hand.

_We were accepted; next course of action?_

The words flashed across he screen, imprinted permanently in her text message history. It was unescapable, irreversible, unavoidable.

What had she come here for anyway? Was her loyalty really with _that_ school, or was it simply because it was the comfortable decision?

Her slim fingers lingered over the keyboard, leaving her to contemplate her carefully written response to Reiner. If the texts were read they would have to be inconspicuous and unassuming.

_Are you free after skating practice?_

She sent it, a little notice on her screen telling her the message was delivered. Sighing, she turned her phone on sleep as she became attentive to the buzz of the room.

Her eyes flicked to and fro. She held an analytical gaze towards each and every student present, not ready to loose focus any time soon.

* * *

"Stay out of my business next time," Mikasa frowned to Levi. "And you," she looked at Eren, "need to make sure you don't get detention."

"Yes mother," Eren sighed.

"I'm serious," she said. "This could greatly affect your career in skating."

"I know!" he protested.

"Mikasa," Armin tilted his head, "where are we going?" He was too intimidated to ask Levi directly, and highly doubted that Eren would know.

"Not sure," Mikasa said, "he decided not to tell me."

"Erwin's office," Levi smirked, "If you were listening, I did tell you."

"Hm, what for?"

"How the hell should I know," he responded. "I walked by and Erwin told me to get you. Petra was there too."

"Somebody has a stick up their butt," she replied.

"You, obviously."

"Eh, guys," Eren cut in. "What is with you two?"

"Nothing," Mikasa turned her head away from him. "He's just troublesome."

"You're more fucking annoying. Brat."

"Bastard."

"Idiot."

"Asshole."

"Will you two please be quiet?" Eren sighed.

* * *

A/N- First off, I want to apologize how very short this was. I knew I wanted to add a bit more in between the chapters, but ultimately came up with a writer's block.

(1) Okay, sorry if that was a bit unclear. I didn't want to outright say it, but wasn't sure if you readers got it. That aside, Jean was thinking of rather...lewd thoughts so to speak. He was wondering if Mikasa was good at _it._

Now some answers/replies to reviews::

Guest: Do you ice-skate yourself?

Emmalia (author-chan): I used to skate when I was younger. I quit once I got to the Pre-Juvenile Level when I turned about eight. My schedule became busier, so I couldn't continue. I really wish I continued though!

Porscha-Nee: Phew, i thought you'll drop it when i saw "AN"

Emmalia: Haha, need not worry. I won't drop. I literally spent ages wanting to do this, but thought nobody would read. Once the Olympics started there were requests for this type of story all over tumblr, so I decided to give it a go!

oftheathenians: shortie levi paired with queen mikasa (yuna kim tho!)

Emmalia: They do call her Queen Yuna after all!

Lastly, I know Mikasa is a bit more "talkative" than she is in the manga/anime. I would like to justify this by saying that if her tragic past didn't happen, she may not be like that. Instead of subverting her personality completely, I decided to avert it a tad bit.

I hope you all enjoyed! Hugs and kisses to al of you. You have no idea how grateful I am!


	4. Chapter 4

Petra stood silently in Erwin Smith's office. They were discussing a great number of things, but the main topic was being avoided.

Who Levi's next skating partner could be.

As his previous partner, Petra volunteered to help Erwin decide.

She had always thought she would be Levi's perennial skating partner, but her injury diminished her hopes of that. They had skated together since middle school, passing levels and winning gold.

He had grown to respect her in his own subtle, awkward way. She had watched him from afar for years before they were partnered, and was overjoyed when they were. Now she knew it was different. The feeling was weak, but definitely apparent.

Levi was watching Mikasa they way she watched Levi. It was obvious, despite their differences, the two of them together would be Queen's strongest skating pair. Levi currently held the top grades in skating, while Mikasa's followed closely behind. She was sure to become his equal sooner or later, as she had skated for two years less than he had. They were the strongest skaters apart, but put them together and they were an unstoppable duo.

Petra was saddened at the fact she was about to suggest Mikasa as Levi's partner, but at they same time she rejoiced. Levi would move onto bigger and better. He would accomplish more with Mikasa than he would with her.

She prevented herself from going into a paroxysm as she slowly suggested, "I think Mikasa would be a good partner."

Erwin raised his large eyebrows, analyzing Petra's expression with a hardened gaze. "They are a disastrous pair."

"Despite their differences their skating styles will mend perfectly together."

"So," Erwin continued, "the team work is the only struggle."

"What about their level differences?" Petra asked. "She's only a junior skater, although she could easily become a senior skater."

"Remember, there are separate skating levels for pair skating and single skating. She's currently a junior pair skater, but Levi hasn't become a senior pair skater yet. Pari skating was never his priority, so he's currently only a junior pair skater. It seems she attained that rank with her brother Eren. We'll have to ask her to take Levi as her partner instead."

"I see," Petra nodded.

"I do want to bring up the fact that she is a solid five inches taller than him. Wouldn't Annie be better because of her height?" Erwin questioned. He trusted her judgement, as she was one of his first students, but found it was necessary to bring up how unorthodox it would be for the female to be taller than the male.

"I don't think they have the same charisma together," Petra said. "I acknowledge Annie's skill, but Mikasa's is superior, therefore she'll be able to skate on more even ground with Levi."

"I see," Erwin said. "Then its final. As soon as Mikasa and Eren disband, Mikasa will skate with Levi. Bertholdt will be her reserve partner, and Annie will skate with Reiner."

"Sounds good to me," Petra said.

:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Are you serious?" Levi said in a dead pan voice. "You think I'm going to train with this brat?"

"He's a chibi," Mikasa dared to insult Levi's height again. "And what about Eren's career?"

"Levi, Mikasa," Eren mentally groaned. "I don't think you understand why we're doing this."

"Mikasa," Eren chided from beside her. "Come on. I'll partner up with somebody in my class. Don't worry about me."

Mikasa glared at Eren, wishing he would stop supporting Erwin's incredulous idea. She had to skate with him, to make sure he would always achieve greatness. Levi's face stayed stoic, but he was definitely in rage on the inside.

"You two, don't make me invoke my rights as a teacher on this. I'm attempting to make this so it was your choice, not a forced order."

"Well it sure is going to end up as a forced order," Levi said.

"Mikasa, Levi. You two are partners. No question."

If only Erwin had been able to see into the future. The rest of week was tedious at best, leaving him with a sizable headache and lots of paperwork.

:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Hey! Watch where you're grabbing!" Mikasa yelled as Levi's hands got too close to her breasts.

"Not like I was trying to."

"You're just too short."

:-:-:-:-:-:-

"You're so heavy, loose some weight."

"Maybe you're too weak," she said back.

:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Levi, grow already! You're too short!"

"Shut the fuck up."

:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Your triple lutz looks horrible Ackerman."

"Not as bad as yours."

:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Stop skipping our practice time for your own free skate!"

"My single skating is my top priority," he responded.

:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Watch it Ackerman. I'm your senpai."

"Senpai my ass. Start acting like one!"

"Tch, fine. Watch your fucking language."

"Hypocrite.."

:-:-:-:-:-:-

Erwin sighed as he watched the duo perform off ice again. They were standing in the training room, practicing throw jumps so to ensure Levi didn't drop her while on the ice.

They looked amazing together, Erwin thought, but what good was it if they couldn't get along. Their artistry on the ice mended together in perfect harmony, but it was a strenuous task to get them to concur.

Mikasa was currently clipped to a harness, supporting her if she were to fall. Levi stood beside her, preparing to throw her into a jump. Their skin met each other's as he gripped her waist, arm muscles flexing as he threw her in the air. She spun around, hair whipping around her as she landed.

"That was a good round," Erwin said. "Mikasa, watch your arm. Make sure you don't hit him."

She nodded, not wanting to see contempt towards him. Levi inwardly smirked, but aligned his body to repeat the exercise over again. The two repeated this process, a confrontational undertone in their interactions.

"Hey Erwin," Reiner called from his and Annie's harness. "Can we start to practice lifts now? The exhibition show is a week away."

"Okay," the teacher agreed.

The exhibition show, Mikasa thought. Unfortunately, Levi was one of the judges for the shows. There were no official scores or placements. Instead, the show was to determine who was on the school's competing team, and as the captain of the team Levi had a small say in it.

There were two leagues Three Queens competed in. One was the school league, which followed the format of other shows. Similar to the Olympic, schools competed in small teams for both individual glory and team victory. The winning team earned a spot IFS magazine; International Figure Skating magazine, as the best skating school.

The regular league was open to all. The competing team was simply the team that participated in the school cup, while the rest of the skaters were allowed to compete in the standard tests.

Mikasa knew she probably wouldn't get on the competing team because of Levi's malice towards her, but decided it was fine. She would simply focus on her own skating career, however much she wanted to support the school's honor.

"Ackerman," Levi huffed. "Quit zoning out. We have to finish our sets of jump throws."

She didn't respond, instead taking her place in the middle of the mat again.

"You two," Erwin interjected, "practice throws off the harness."

Levi made way to Mikasa, helping her unclip herself. His hands brushed her legs as he did so, cause her to stiffen.

"What did I say about your hands?" she asked.

He ignored her, instead proceeding to pull the harness down her legs and throw it off to the side.

"Line up, Ackerman."

She frowned at him, but took her place in front of him. He gripped her torso again, ignoring how small it was. She bent her legs, positioning to mimic a throw on ice.

He lifted his arms, releasing her into the air. The next moments went by so slow as she spun once before toppling out of balance.

"What the," Levi muttered to himself. Crap, Levi thought, its my fault. I didn't throw her high enough. Despite him acknowledging the fact it was his fault, he felt reluctant to share it with his tall partner. Weakness was never an option for one who was held in high esteem such as himself.

She lay on the floor, checking her ankles for any signs of injury. Wincing at one spot, she applied pressure to ease the pain.

"Sorry," Levi choked out. It went by unnoticed or ignored, as Mikasa made no signs of hearing it.

Mikasa thought she had heard him say something, but quickly dismissed the idea. Why would Levi be worried about her? After all, she had suffered many falls worse than these on ice.

"Here," he held out a hand to her. She gripped it slowly, wondering what his motive is. He brought her to a chair, setting her down and placing some ice on her ankle, almost tenderly.

What the fuck am I doing, Levi asked himself. True he felt bad, but he was sure the sorry was more than enough, especially coming from him. If she had in fact injured herself from that, it could had jeopardized her skating career.

Not that he cared.

"You two," Erwin called as he approached. "Nothing serious I assume."

"Yes," she replied. "Perfectly fine."

Erwin checked his watch; thirty minutes until their afternoon ice lessons ended. "Okay you two. Session's over early. I'm going to focus my work on Annie and Reiner. I want you three," he pointed to Bertholdt, Mikasa, and Levi, "to go stretch out and get something to eat."

They all nodded, attentive to their olympic-class coach. "I'm going to attempt to do pair spins on ice with you two tomorrow during ice class time, so be prepared," Erwin added.

Mikasa nodded, happy to finally get more ice time. Ever since they started to practice pair skating she had gotten less ice time. They worked off ice more often than not to make certain of her safety.

"Mikasa," Bertholdt called softly after her. He was meek. That was all Mikasa could say about him. As a stranger, she looked at his rugged muscles and sharp jaw and instantly thought of a secure man. However, as Mikasa got to know him it was quite the contrary.

"Yes," she asked.

"We should probably make a power smoothie for a snack. Would you mind making one?"

"Hm," Levi cut in. "Putting her in the kitchen just because she's a fucking woman? I'll make one. She'll dirty up the kitchen counter."

Mikasa grunted in response, quickening her pace to reach the ice rink's kitchen faster.

"When is the school's first exhibition show?" Bertholdt called after her.

"A week," Levi responded. "It'll determine who to place on the competing team."

"Oh," he mumbled. "I don't think Mikasa and I are ready…"

The Asian girl didn't respond, instead flinging the kitchen door open.

"I'm making the smoothies," Mikasa said.

"If you make them they'll taste like shit," Levi said. "Move."

"Taste doesn't matter as long as its good for us," she spoke.

Levi huffed. "Ackerman, mine will taste good and be good for you." He grabbed her wrist when she started to reach up and grab the blender. His tanner hand caught her paler wrist, locking it in place.

His skin felt warm on hers, a strange mixture of roughness and femininity. It puzzled her, how this small man's hand felt. Almost like a child clinging to his caretaker for help, while at the same time the child bossing the caretaker around.

"Senpai," she said sweetly. "I was just going to help you get it down. I saw you were vertically challenged, so I didn't want you to embarrass yourself." She ended it with a pleasant expression on her face.

He growled, slamming her back against the kitchen counter, causing her to wince. That's going to bruise, Mikasa thought.

"I thought I told you," he snarled, "not to insult my height."

"Oh, you did," she looked slightly down at him with a bored expression.

"Hey you two," Bertholdt whispered as if one of the duo were going to lash at at him.

"You're right," Mikasa sighed, pushing him off of her.

"I-I am?" he asked.

Levi sighed at the insecure man's timidness. He looked up at the blender to see that he did in fact, need Mikasa to get the blender down from the shelf.

"…...Ackerman."

"Yes Captain?"

"Help me get the damn blender down."

:-:-:-:-:-:-

The following morning Mikasa Ackerman was skating side by side with Annie. The duo were critiquing each other's lines in a rather harsh way, but that was their version of perfect harmony.

It was their free skate time before school, a quiet stillness left from the dark hours of the night.

"Levi!" Petra exclaimed from the stands, "you hooked your landing again."

"Hm," Mikasa grunted. She thought about having Petra monitor their sessions to make sure Levi actually listened to her advice, but decided against it. What good was it to have a skating partner when you couldn't practice without a mentor?

"Mikasa," Annie called her. "I need to discuss my pair program with Reiner."

She skated off, not leaving a single moment for Mikasa to answer. She sighed to herself, gliding across the ice.

She felt like she was soaring, cutting through the ice with perfect precision. He hair moved around her, lapping at her shoulders she she moved.

The exhibition show was in just under a week, leaving mere days to practice. Despite Levi having a definite spot on the singles program, it did not ensure that he had one in the pair program. With only three spots in each division Mikasa knew she had slim chances of getting in.

Three spots for junior women's singles.

Three spots for junior pair skating.

She sighed, spotting Levi in the corner of her eye. It was never dull to be around him, but she often avoided his company.

"Mikasa," Levi called to her. "We should do extra practice for the exhibition."

Just for practice, Levi thought. We both want a spot on the competing team, therefore I'd spend extra time practicing with her.

She nodded, skating off again. "An extra hour after ice classes today?"

"Okay," he responded. The expression on his face was neutral, tame even.

If it was just for practice why was she excited to spend extra time with him?

Well of course its fine, she reasoned with herself. You get to spend more time on the ice. Not at all because of his irritating pressence.

It was because she would get to watch the way he moved on ice, one extra time.

It was because he would get to watch the way she moved on ice, one extra time.

No, they told themselves.

We hate each other.

Right?

Yes.

Few would guess that behind both of their impassive facades, so many emotions swirled around in their stomachs. It was always sifted thoroughly before any feelings could escape.

Tears and laughter may be the words the heart can't say, but if neither of them are ever seen what does the heart say?

* * *

A/N- another chapter up! *hooray!*

I apologize if it got a bit...messy towards the end. I don't feel as though I put enough effort into it...

Now this "Ice Skating Terms" section I will insert how each of the characters dance like. (comparing real life people to how I believe they would skate).

Mikasa::Kim Yuna: (with jumping abilities like Mao Asada) fantastic, mature artistry and technique with the ability to do massive jumps (due to the speed she skates at)

Levi::Patrick Chan: a true legend both in and out of the skating world...just go watch him

Mikasa and Levi::Tatiana and Maxim: (shorter Maxim, haha) amazing chemistry, technique, and artistry. Looks like they've practiced forever with huge stunts.

(ps, Kim holds all three available records for highest score in an official performance while Patrick holds two and Tatiana and Maxim hold three)

Eren::Yuzuru Hanyu: a huge crowd pleaser who has extremely passionate programs and more potential

Armin::Jeremy Abbott: (during his novice career): extremely determined skater, although has then tendency to not always be consistent

Annie::Adelina Sotnikova: often looked over, but a real master with technique and artistry. Has the ability to do triple jumps; an amazing feat for a woman of her size

Bertholdt::Daisuke Takahashi: very good at technique, although artistry during competition is harder to accomplish for him because he caves under pressure

Reiner::Jason Brown: has the skill to connect with the crowd through his passion. His technique is amazing and he seems to have a "spark" other competitors don't have.

Krista::Gracie Gold: highly talked about due to her charisma and artistry while skating, although her technique is not as refined as others

Ymir::Mao Asada: perfect form in every way with huge jumps. her artistry is there, but the emotion is more subtle than other skaters. Not as much as a crowd pleaser as other skaters, and more inconsistent as well

Jean::Stephane Lambiel: known for his spins and often popularizes many of them. A true leader when it comes to that.

Connie::Evgeni Plushenko: ability to do amazing jumps due to high physical ability. His outfits are consistently out-there, always pushing the limits for mens competition wear

Sasha::Sahsa Cohne: strong with foot work, spirals, and spins. Her jumping is inconsistent, but she is extremely agile and flexible

Marco::Brian Joubert: an extremely strong jumper, although his performances can get slightly bland due to the consistency of his moves.

Okay, ending this authors not!

Please review! I really do appreciate ALL of them! As a write I know it makes it much more enjoyable to know other people like your work. Lastly, if you have any recommendations for different ice skaters let me know! I'm open to suggestion.


	5. Chapter 5

Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt stood in the stretching room above the skating rink. It overlooked the ice, giving the trio a perfect view of the school's ace.

Well, now currently, aces, due to Mikasa's unexpected arrival.

From above they looked like minuscule dots dancing on a piece of paper, sewing together movements with an invisible thread. Mikasa's signature scarf twirled about her as she spun, hitting a shorter Levi in the face.

Muffled arguments arose, audible to the three that hid in the shadows. It was unclear in sound, but discord was apparent in the tone.

"We didn't know a girl like that would attend this school," Reiner said. "We were certain you would get to skate with Levi for pair skating, but it seems our plans are ruined."

"Hm," Annie noted. Her head was spinning, thinking of other possibilities, however, when in enemy territory, subtleness is key.

Crystal eyes sunk farther into the darkness when a pair of charcoal eyes briefly glanced up towards them. Mikasa had felt unnerved as she glided on the ice, feeling as if she was being observed.

She dismissed the thought, circling back towards Levi to practice again. The man was dressed in usual training garb, black pants with a gray zip up.

The moved together in perfect synch, sliding backwards on the ice before going into a thrown double lutz perfectly. The base points for that were impressive, but the grade of execution was certainly plus two worthy.

Their music was steady, seemingly romantic, with a strong melody held by a violin and an accompaniment of lyre and piano. It was legato and smooth, with small crescendos and decrescendos throughout the tune.

"With their program it would be near impossible to beat them," Reiner looked down at Annie. "Even if their execution is poor, it is more technically difficult, so they have a higher chance to earn points."

"Will we have to resort violence?" Annie sighed reluctantly.

"It would be unwise to revise our program six days before the exhibition. Anyway, we should probably just wait out until the competing team is placed. Even if we do better than that pair, I'm sure they would get a place in the top three senior pairs," Reiner said.

"I suppose," she replied.

My_ mission here is simple, _Annie thought, _take out Captain Levi, and learn their teaching methods. A fourth of the mission has been commenced and completed; taking out the former top ladies skater, Petra Ral. Although now a new variable has come in, stronger than the last. Mikasa Ackerman._

Bertholdt fidgeted nervously, unsure what to do when their course of action was simply to wait. His initiative was mediocre at best, and he couldn't risk blowing their cover.

"The skating tests are on Wednesday," Annie said. "We have to make sure Mikasa and Ymir don't advance to the senior level."

"Why?" Bertholdt asked.

"Because if they advance I can't be certain I'll place on the senior ladies single spots. Its crucial for me to be on the team; that's where the most skill is."

"Annie," Reiner told her, "I highly doubt Mikasa will choose to advance. She seems devoted to her little brother. Ymir too, she seems...unmotivated."

"Mikasa should," Annie found herself saying. She held grudging respect for her roommate, and was positive she would pass the test with ease.

"Annie!" Bertholdt exclaimed.

"Fraternizing with the enemy?"

"No," Annie shook her head. "It simply slipped out. Although, she seems motivated to me."

"Why do you say that?" Reiner questioned her.

"She has been practicing on a Sunday, our free day, as well as practicing an extra hour everyday. We're barely two weeks into school, yet I see her grades are still consistent. She's kept up in her work and skating, as well as being punctual."

"I have no defense to that."

A tense silence filled the practice room as they gazed at the duo once again. Mikasa had just smacked Levi, who once again, pushed her against a surface, probably threatening her again.

"How misleading," Reiner sighed. "Honestly, those two have such strange chemistry."

Mikasa's discontent showed clear on her face as she snarled back to whatever remark he had made. He skated away from her, beckoning her to follow as they ran through the program once again.

They started in the middle of the rink, holding an intimate starting position. Levi stood behind Mikasa, his hands on her hips while hers were intertwined with his lithe fingers. The music started, signaling for the two to start.

She made a half scratch spin, pieces of black hair whisking through the air in a marvelous display. Two hands interlocked, moving across the ices as the two skated in sync, one skating forwards, the other backwards.

Fluid movements enthralled anybody who tried to move their eyes from the performance, capturing attention of the three observing. Her palatial figure dipped into a outside edge spread eagle before moving into a death spiral.

Her back arched in a reversed 'U' just inches from the cold floor. His hand gripped her wrist as he supported her spinning movements, holding on to make sure she wouldn't become a thread snapped in half.

Their form resembled a clock hand; Mikasa's body held face-up, moving across an axis with Levi rooting her firmly in place.

Exiting the death spiral, they skating away from each other, before meeting again in the middle.

Their program continued, an entrancing dance to the music. The ice was marked with deep gouges throughout, but the execution of the program much smoother than the surface of the ice.

Their music came to a stop, their bodies along with it. Any who watched as they held their ending pose would have been deluded into thinking the two were greatly compatible.

They parted from their hold, skating to the edge of the rink.

"Mikasa," Levi said, "according to the video tape, our synchronization was off for the side by side jumps."

"Let me see," she peered at the tape recorder held in his hands. They were filming themselves to give them the opportunity to see their performance.

She moved her head to look over his shoulder, studying the screen as he played the video.

"You could try to have a better expression on your face," she snarked. "If it were a real competition we would get points deducted from artistry."

"Trying," he said. "Your expression is that fucking amazing either."

"Shut up," she growled to him.

"Watch your edge Ackerman," he barked back.

"You're a pain."

He huffed to himself, inhaling the air around him. He almost choked on his own breath as he caught the smell of his kohai.

It was feminine. So very feminine. _Well she's a girl, _he told himself. _What did you expect?_

It was appealing, smelling of currants and raspberries. It was tart, tingling his noise as he discreetly sniffed again. As it faded away it turned muskier; a scent closer to what he expected. The final smell was soap, surprisingly, radiating of her hair. (1)

"Are you okay?" Mikasa asked him as he coughed awkwardly. She slowly reached up to pat his back, but quickly made it retreat. She wasn't ready for a beat-down from him because she had "marked" his clean body.

"Yes," he said. He seemed off balance to Mikasa, tediously perched at the edge of imbalance.

She shrugged, allowing it to slip under her radar. She didn't have time to deal with his personal issues, and needed to focus on her own career, even if it was with this insufferable captain.

"That's enough for toady," Levi said, glancing at the clock. It was already eight, giving them limited time to do their homework and eat dinner before monday morning tomorrow.

"Okay," Mikasa answered, already exiting the ice. He watched her as she gathered her stuff, shoving it into a duffel bag. She grasped her bottle, a green liquid sloshing against the sides.

He stared at it, disgusted by how the dark jade drink sat in its container.

"Is there something wrong with my drink?" she caught his prolonged gaze.

"It looks disgusting."

"Not quite as bad as your face," she replied calmly, pouring the drink down her throat.

"Bitch," he murmured. "Erwin wanted me to ask you something."

"What?" she said, wiping the ice off of her skates.

"Why haven't you signed up for the trials?"

"What do you mean?" she asked. "The senior skating test?"

"No shit sherlock," her replied.

"Eren hasn't signed up."

"You really are an idiot," he said, sitting down a good three feet away from her. "You won't get anywhere if you keep hanging on to him."

She frowned, thinking about what he said. She had never felt as if she was hanging on him. It was simply her greatest desire to protect her family.

"Mikasa," he scooted an inch closer to her. "Don't be more of an idiot than you actually are. You are a senior level skater, whose playing around in the junior level. What the actual fuck," he said.

"I didn't come to hear you mouth off at me," she stood up, attempting to walk past Levi to the exit. She wished to expunge this very conversation, one that brought up so many possibilities if not for Eren. She couldn't leave him. No, net yet. He had always done so much for her, so she vowed to never leave his side.

A hand gripped her wrist, yanking her harshly towards the seat. She collided with the bench, a harsh impact sure to bruise.

"You idiot, are you trying to injure me?"

"No, simply knock some sense into you. Plus, Erwin said he would demote me if I didn't get you to sign up. Its the last day to sign up anyway; the test is Wednesday."

She bristled, visibly rigid against him. From being yanked down she landed close to him, but hastily scooted away.

"I'll talk to Eren about it," she replied.

"Then I'll go write your name down on the damned list myself. If your brat of a brother hasn't signed up yet what the hell are you going to do? Its eight already, so he only has three hours until curfew."

"No," Mikasa sighed.

"Yes."

"No," she growled once again.

"Brat," Levi said. His tanner hand curled around her pale wrist, pulling her sharply to the bulletin board pinned outside the changing rooms.

"Sign your fucking name," he ordered her, pressing a pen into her hand.

"No," she said again. "Eren hasn't signed up!"

"I don't want to get fucking demoted," Levi replied. Taking the pen out of her hand he hastily sprawled her name across the paper. "Now you're signed up."

"Fuck you," she replied slapping him across the face.

"I could get you suspended for that," he said.

"Don't care," she answered, shocked at her own actions.

A floor above, the trio were still witnessing these events, commenting occasionally.

"Seems they have come to an agreement," Reiner remarked as the two gave curt nods. "She's signing up, although that was a violent display."

"If its just Mikasa signing up, I'm sure it will be fine," Annie said. "The only other note-worthy person I can think of is Hanji Zoe."

"True," Reiner nodded, "but we have to make sure Bertholdt and I get on. There is more competition for us."

"No excuses," Annie said, taking the alpha position Reiner previously held. "Get on the team."

"Yes ma'am," Reiner told her mockingly. "Should we review our own programs and costumes?"

"Yes," Annie replied, tugging Bertholdt along. They tiptoed down the stairs, avoiding detection from the pair of skaters below.

_Sorry Mikasa, _Annie thought, _Sorry Levi.__  
_

* * *

A/N- Hm, I hope you guys are okay with my characterization. I know that its a bit different from the manga/anime world, but I think its fit for this modern world.

(1)- Okay, so Mikasa's scent was actually taken from the perfume manufactured for her. Look it up, I'm serious.

Here I will be explaining how judging works.

Base Points: For each move done, there is a set amount of points, however points can be added or subtracted due to the grade of execution.

Grade of Execution (GOE): how well the move is performed

Technical Points: Given for jumps, spins, and in pair skating, lifts, throws, etc (will be explained in the next chapter!)

Artistic Points: For artistry (how they feel the music), step sequences, lines, movement

Costume Deduction: If a piece of the costume falls onto the ice, or if it is "garish" or "tacky" (a one point deduction)

For Ladies Singles the ISU (International Skating Union) records are as follows:

78.50- For the short program

150.05- For the long program (Free Skate)

228.560 Combined total

And now for the Men's records:

101.45- For the short program

196.75- For the long program

295.27- Combined total

The reason why the men's scores are higher is because of their capability to jump higher. This isn't sexist (I'm a feminist), but is due to the face that men's leg muscles are normally stronger than women's. The female ice skaters need to keep their form generally slim, so getting bulky muscles to support larger jumps is usually not the way to go.

Here is the Pair records:

84.17- For the short program

154.66- For the long program

237.71- Combined total

Now on average, the scores are as follows::

Women's short program average: 55-45

Men's: 75-65

Pair's: 65-55

I'm not going to give ones for the long program, because to me its a lot harder to tell. There are so many variables (the skaters are skating for a longer time) to it, so I decided to pass.

Lastly, I want to let you know their ages are the same as given. (See below for grade, age, and levels. If there is a star next to their name, they are going to have a birthday within the book!)

Mikasa: 10th, 16*, junior single skater, junior pair skater (will be explained later as to why she's 16 and in 10th grade)

Levi: 12th, 18*, senior single skater, junior pair skater

Eren: 10th, 15*, junior single skater, junior pair skater

Armin: 10th, 15*, juvenile single skater, novice pair skater

Annie: 10th, 15*, senior single skater, junior pair skater

Reiner: 12th, 18, senior single skater, junior pair skater

Bertholdt: 12th, 17*, senior single skater, junior pair skater

Jean: 10th, 15*, junior single skater, novice pair skater

Marco: 11th, 16*, novice single skater, senior ice dance skater

Ymir: 12th, 17*, junior single skater, senior ice dance skater

Christa: 10th, 15*, nocive single skater, novice pair skater

Connie: 10th, 15*, novice single skater, speed skater

Sasha: 11th, 17, novice single skater, novice pair skater

Petra: 11th, 17, senior single skater, senior pair skater

Zoe: 12th, 17*, senior single skater, senior pair skater

*EDIT*

Whoops, I published this chapter without it being completed. The stuff above is actually not important *sweat drops*.

What I was trying to say that was important is that if a skater has a partner outside of the school, its accepted. For instance, if Erwin wasn't retired in this AU world, he could be Zoe's partner and skate with her in the school tournament.


	6. Opinions Needed!

Dear Readers, Emmalia here!

First I want to open this up by saying I really really enjoy ALL of your support so far! I never imagined it would get this much attention without me posting it on any exterior sights. Anyways- this note is regarding the progression of this book. I have three routes I'm considering going down, and I really need some of my reader's opinions. So please, leave a review or pm me which of the following you would prefer.

1. Have 'Watch Your Edge' be made into two books; the first focusing on their relationship in high school, the second on their relationship afterward. This will probably the most detailed of the three choices, but also the longest. Each book will be 20-30 chapters. More problems will arise, and there will be more depth.

2. Cover the whole entire plot in one book. This will likely be 35-45 chapters long, and skip over some small details.

3. Have the book conclude by the end of the year (once Levi graduates, so the end of the current high school year). This will most likely have a slightly different ending then the two above will, due to the end being a separate time.

So there are the three choices! Once again, I really would like some opinions on this. Author-chan is currently split between these options. Lastly- would you guys be interested if a did a side book for this? Like a book of one-shots that relate slightly to the plot? Mostly just fluffy little things or otherwise. It wouldn't be crucial to read, but only a little extra. Once again, I appreciate everything you do. Even if your review is "great book!" it really encourages me! Please answer my question so we can all continue on the journey between Mikasa and Levi! ~Emmalia :)


	7. AN- Spoiler Alert for Manga

Dear Readers- I do have the next chapter written and revised, as well as some art that I am almost finished. However, due to the recent events in the manga (Levi ACKERMAN), I'm not sure if I will continue this book. My personal moral values are such that I do not support incest/ familial relationships. When I say familial I mean cousins, uncle, etc. If they are related through marriage or adoption, then I will continue none the less. Until their precise relationship is cleared up I will not post anything else. I'm very sorry guys, because I a so so excited about this book. Sincerely sorry. ~Emmalia P.S.- What did you think of this reveal? 


End file.
